1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to swimming pool covers and more particularly pertains to a domed cover for swimming pools which may be adapted for eliminating incursion of rainwater, leaves, animals, and the like during winter storage thereof whereby reducing the time required to return a swimming pool to service after the storage and additionally for reducing pool water evaporation loss by preventing pool water from flowing onto the top of the cover and further for increasing life expectancy of the cover by preventing immersion thereof during the storage period.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of swimming pool covers is known in the prior art. More specifically, swimming pool covers heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of protecting swimming pools from incursion by foreign objects are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
The present invention is directed to improving devices for eliminating incursion of rainwater, leaves, animals, and the like during winter storage thereof in a manner which is safe, secure, economical and aesthetically pleasing.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,767 to Crook discloses a swimming pool cover including a cover support structure having a center support member consisting of short lengths of pipe coupled by means of four-way fittings. Side support members consisting of bowed or arched lengths of flexible pipe are joined to the center support section by means of the four-way fittings. The ends of the side support members are anchored to the pool coping by means of a three-fingered anchoring device having an upturned center finger inserted in the end of the respective side support pipes and having two downturned finger portions engaging the coping on the edge of the pool. A flexible pool cover is supported by the cover support structure and can be retained in place by means of weights such as sandbags. The swimming pool cover disclosed above consists of a large number of interconnecting rods, anchors, and couplings requiring a correspondingly large amount of time and effort to erect and dismantle the device. The complex nature of the invention also leads to a relatively high cost to manufacture and market.
The prior art also discloses the following patents of interest: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,854,149 to Mischke, 4,429,425 to Weir et al., 4,667,352 to Leister, and 5,095,557 to Keyes. While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a domed cover for swimming pools for eliminating incursion of rainwater, leaves, animals, and the like during winter storage thereof.
In this respect, the domed cover for swimming pools according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of eliminating incursion of rainwater, leaves, animals, and the like during winter storage thereof whereby reducing the time required to return a swimming pool to service after the storage and additionally for reducing pool water evaporation loss by preventing pool water from flowing onto the top of the cover and further for increasing life expectancy of the cover by preventing immersion thereof during the storage period.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new domed cover for swimming pools which can be used for eliminating incursion of rainwater, leaves, animals, and the like during winter storage thereof whereby reducing the time required to return a swimming pool to service after the storage and additionally for reducing pool water evaporation loss by preventing pool water from flowing onto the top of the cover and further for increasing life expectancy of the cover by preventing immersion thereof during the storage period. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
As illustrated by the background art, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to develop devices for protecting swimming pools from incursion by foreign objects. No prior effort, however, provides the benefits attendant with the present invention. Additionally, the prior patents and commercial techniques do not suggest the present inventive combination of component elements arranged and configured as disclosed and claimed herein.
The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objects, and advantages through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and by employing only readily available materials.